Accelerated corrosion of 316L stainless steel in a simulated oral environment via extracellular electron transfer and acid metabolites of subgingival microbiota

Ying Zheng; Yi Yang; Xianbo Liu; Pan Liu; Xiangyu Li; Mingxing Zhang; Enze Zhou; Zhenjin Zhao; Xue Wang; Yuanyuan Zhang; Bowen Zheng; Yuwen Yan; Yi Liu; Dake Xu; Liu Cao

doi:10.1016/j.bioactmat.2024.01.007

Accelerated corrosion of 316L stainless steel in a simulated oral environment via extracellular electron transfer and acid metabolites of subgingival microbiota

Bioact Mater. 2024 Jan 20:35:56-66. doi: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2024.01.007. eCollection 2024 May.

Authors

Ying Zheng¹, Yi Yang^{2

3}, Xianbo Liu¹, Pan Liu^{2

3}, Xiangyu Li^{2

3}, Mingxing Zhang^{2

3}, Enze Zhou^{2

3}, Zhenjin Zhao¹, Xue Wang¹, Yuanyuan Zhang¹, Bowen Zheng¹, Yuwen Yan¹, Yi Liu¹, Dake Xu^{2

3

4}, Liu Cao^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ School and Hospital of Stomatology, China Medical University, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Shenyang, China.
² Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Northeastern University, Shenyang, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Rolling and Automation, Northeastern University, Shenyang, China.
⁴ Electrobiomaterials Institute, Key Laboratory for Anisotropy and Texture of Materials (Ministry of Education), Northeastern University, Shenyang, China.
⁵ College of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Medical Cell Biology, Ministry of Education, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
⁶ Institute of Health Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.

Abstract

316L stainless steel (SS) is widely applied as microimplant anchorage (MIA) due to its excellent mechanical properties. However, the risk that the oral microorganisms can corrode 316L SS is fully neglected. Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) of 316L SS is essential to the health and safety of all patients because the accelerated corrosion caused by the oral microbiota can trigger the release of Cr and Ni ions. This study investigated the corrosion behavior and mechanism of subgingival microbiota on 316L SS by 16S rRNA and metagenome sequencing, electrochemical measurements, and surface characterization techniques. Multispecies biofilms were formed by the oral subgingival microbiota in the simulated oral anaerobic environment on 316L SS surfaces, significantly accelerating the corrosion in the form of pitting. The microbiota samples collected from the subjects differed in biofilm compositions, corrosion behaviors, and mechanisms. The oral subgingival microbiota contributed to the accelerated corrosion of 316L SS via acidic metabolites and extracellular electron transfer. Our findings provide a new insight into the underlying mechanisms of oral microbial corrosion and guide the design of oral microbial corrosion-resistant materials.

Keywords: 316L SS; Acid metabolites; Corrosion; Extracellular electron transfer; Oral subgingival microbiota.